The well-known director and Artistic Director of the Greek-German Theatre of Cologne, Kostas Papakostopoulos, was today’s guest on the program “Take Your Time” with Prokopis Agelopoulos, on the occasion of the play “The Navel of the Earth”, staged at the Alternative Stage of the Greek National Opera – Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.
The production is based on the play of the same title by the talented German writer Fink Kleidhoi, conceived and directed by Kostas Papakostopoulos, and arrives in Greece as part of the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Greek-German Theatre of Cologne. Co-produced with the State Theatre of Bonn, the play premiered on 07 June 2024. It was presented yesterday, Thursday, at the Alternative Stage of the Greek National Opera to great acclaim and continues today, Friday 07 November 2025, at 20:30, with Greek surtitles.
The performances are supported by the Department of Culture of the City of Cologne, the Embassy of Germany, and the Goethe-Institut Athens, under the auspices of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy. The production is a co-production of Kostas Papakostopoulos – Greek-German Theatre of Cologne and the Alternative Stage of the Greek National Opera.
Plot summary:
The Mediterranean in summer: heatwaves, wildfires, drought, floods. The climate crisis seems to be changing our planet forever. Can we still reverse this course, or must we accept the inevitable? Seeking answers, director Kostas Papakostopoulos and the Greek-German Theatre turn -like the ancient Greeks once did- to the Oracle of Delphi, the navel of the Earth, and the mythical Pythia. The play questions the values of modern civilization and acts as a call to save our planet.